drink problem?

mikes

Hi,

Can anybody help me regarding buying alcoholic drinks in kerala as i heard its not freely available, and if it is, will i be able to buy branded drinks like bacardi & vodka etc etc,

I have booked to go over xmas & the new year coming and any information about anything will be greatly recieved as we are staying at the uday samudra beach hotel in kovalam.

Tomi

Liquor stores are available in Kerala, but I never went to bars there. As in Tamil Nadu (and bars there), many are located in basements, alleyways, or up "stairs of shame", and the patrons are a mix of Westerners and what I judged to be locals considered "unsavory" by other locals. I assumed some were wallahs engaged by more "respectable" patrons to go get their booze for them.

"Alcohol destroys family, country and life" in the South of India, as the required labels state. But you can still get your booze. There was less variety than in the north, in my experience. Branded drinks? Mostly Indian brands.

I don't know about Kovalam, but beer was easy to get in Varkala restaurants, even thought it was officially illegal. In some establishments they serve the booze in teapots, and when you want another beer, just ask for "more tea."

freenote

Good luck,There are religios restraints, political restraints,legel restraints.You may be presented with a botle of beer on the table,in a brown paper bag ,under table,in a teapot ,looked at blankly. your favorite brands ,unlikly,but you will still be able to purchase booze and enjoy,have fun

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butterball

On the whole, you should have no problems.. although if you want Western brands, buy some at the duty free before you leave.

Drinking is generally accepted but as was mentioned above, usually limited to designated 'bars' - typically darkened rooms where the emphasis is often on 'consumtion' ( Personally I love these haunts - snacks available ) Beers & IMFL's are the norm ( often mixed together in the same glass !! )

Look out for the Toddy shacks dotted around the State - you will often see these and there's usually a fair share of incredibly drunk locals to be found there !

Has anyone tried the local bottled stuff ? I was recommended not to as it's often contaminated ( and the recycled bottles do not inspire confidence ! )

steven_ber

When I went to Kovalam (Jan 2001) drink was easily available in the numerous beach bars, I was told that occasionally all bars had to stop selling drink as it upsets the Christian minority in Kerala, though normally a hefty bribe to the local policeman was enough to stay in business, you are going at the busiest time of year, I would be very surprised if you couldn't get drink whenever you wanted it.

WARNING!

A member of this site done a study of Kovalam and found it has a growing reputation as a place for under-age 'sex-tourism', though I never noticed it in 2001, but I was offered a girl by a man on a beach. (I bet they never told you about this when you made your booking. )

Things to do in/near Kovalam.

Get up early to see the locals pulling in their massive nets from the sea, you can even help them, though it's sometimes disheartening when the haul is only a few shrimps.

Go to the small beach south of the lighthouse, there is a footpath from the south of Lighthouse beach that takes you up the hill, follow this and go past the Rock Holm hotel (I think that’s the name of the hotel), the beach is lovely, though it is probably busy at that time of year.

Go for a walk behind Lighthouse beach, it's really nice, remember a torch if you do this in the evening, I forgot, you will only realise what kind of problems this threw up when you see the place yourself.

One morning go on the above walk and just keep going away from Kovalam, you pass the small pond where the clothes get washes and eventually you get away from the tourist places, the locals are very friendly.

Go to the Sea Shore restaurant at the far north of Lighthouse beach, it is the last restaurant on the main section, the food is not great (but the same can be said for all of Kovalam), though their breakfasts are good, there is a couple who stay for a few months a year at the hotel along the alley from this restaurant, they can normally be found in the morning having breakfast in this restaurant, they are retired, from Leeds (I think), they are very friendly and will give you tons of information.

Also this restaurant can arrange to go on fishing trips, or to see dolphins, or a short trip on a boat to pick your own Mussels in water about 10 feet deep, its good fun, if (like me) you cannot get any, the man on the boat gets you a sack full, you then eat fresh ones at the restaurant while the owners 'curry' some for you, (absolutely delicious).

Don't go on the restaurants 'backwater' cruise.

Have a good conversation with 'Sunglasses', a great man who sells sunglasses and coconut cream; you will hear him coming before you see him. (your task for your holiday is to get 'sunglasses' to join indiamike.com )

I will add more later, must go to work.

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Train information.

butterball

Nice to hear some positive comments on Kovalam Stephen.

It got a real trashing in the "I'll never go back there again" thread.

I personally have no problem with it and find it a very useful place to stop as it's well connected, travel agents etc. I'll be spending 6 months in Kerala and plan 'major' excursions ( North, Vietnam & Sri Lanka ) and Kovalam a definite contender for long stay accoms. Never been to Varkala yet, but am considering it too...

There's a nice place to eat real 'meals' near where the taxis park just back from the beach at the northern end called something like 'Sam's place' or whatever. Small terrace out the front but real Kerala Talis...

There's also a 'Toddy Shack' just on the way into town if you dare !

Yep, 'Sunglasses' is still there, although this year only a very few days..

Vasko

I was in Varkala during the offseason and had no problems whatsoever in getting beer in various restaurants. In some places they actually recommended I drink beer, in others they made me feel like a criminal for drinking it, demanding I hide it under the table and drink it from a clay mug. = ; =

I'm a bit lazy with all the code language ("tea", "special juice", etc.) so I ask for a beer and see if I get it. I figure if they have it, they'll serve it.

The local men in Kerala seem to like their booze (understatement).

Which reminds of another alcohol-related observation in Varkala: opposite the train station (across the tracks) is a bar that sells booze straight up and very explicitly. In fact, I wandered in asking for a chai while waiting for my train, got a serious "what the hell are you talking about" -reception and was basically laughed out of the place. I guess they served nothing BUT booze.

Bryan

Yep
Ask for special tea
Never had a problem in Varkala and as long as you're subtle about it there is no problem
The locals don't seem to have a problem with it
The main problem was locals getting drunk and aggreesive or should i say the local mafia getting drunk and causing problems for the restaurant owners
A friend ran a restaurant and he had to stand and watch as some locals proceeded to get very drunk and aggresive towards him and others ...he was helpless

However I should state this is a very very rare occurance so have no fears that way
And it allowed another strange site ...The drunkest most aggreeive guy ended up getting tied and gagged to a tree by his friends ...Bizarre

In the great Kovalem debate ...I went to see what had happened to it in 2002 after a first visit in 1993

I left after a day and went back to varkala ...But don't take my word for it go discover it yourself if you haven't been. I may have looked at it with jaded eyes and a fresh pair of eyes may see the gem i first seen back in 1993.

The sex tourism is very worrying
I'd heard Goa had a growing problem
Never seen anything to worry me and heard that its also bad in Kerala and Tamil again I never saw anything to worry me and travelling with a young son believe me your radar is at 110%

However I did meet a western investigative reporter in Varkala who over a night explained he was on teh trail of a gang of peadiophiles.

He had tracked them from the west
and was about to close the net with the help of the local authorities

1 month later there is a raid in mallapuram where a bogus charitable orphanage had been set up toc ater for western padeophiles

So it looks like the authorities are with the help of the west trying to close these down
I think a number of westerners were arrested but never heard the outcome of their trilals ...Hopefully they are rotting in some malarial infested cesspit of a prison.

Cheers
Bryan

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(As come it will for a' that),
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree an a' that.
For a' that, an a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That man to man, the world, o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that.
- Burns

rab

Ditto the comments on Varkala. No prob to get a drink there, be discreet, just the same as Pushkar Rajasthan where I had a beer on the hotel roof at night with the Chief of Police.

When we were in Varkala my wife started hallucinating in the hotel room when we got back from the restaurant - something crunchy on the top of her food - nutmeg or beetel or soemthing.

The tandoori fish there was out of this world. And don't miss the Sea Eagles, they are awesome gliding along the clifftops.

One bad point the touts were particularly obnoxious in Varkala.

Have a great time anyway.

rab

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India Edge

On a somewhat related note: The crew on our houseboat in Kerala seemed quite disapointed when we declined their offer of beer - they had a whole ice chest full and were hoping to party I think. Although we told them to please go ahead and have a beer they declined, perhaps thinking it inappropriate or that it might get them in trouble. They also seemed a little bummed that we didn't "smoke" either (I'm assuming they meant reefer).

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steven_ber

EDIT NOTE, I done this post thinking you hadn't been to India before, then I noticed from your other posts that you have, The post should still be useful for others though.


When I went to Kovalam (Jan 2002) drink was easily available in the numerous beach bars, I was told that occasionally all bars had to stop selling drink as it upsets the Christian minority in Kerala, though normally a hefty bribe to the local policeman was enough to stay in business, you are going at the busiest time of year, I would be very surprised if you couldn't get drink whenever you wanted it.

WARNING!

A member of this site done a study of Kovalam and found it has a growing reputation as a place for under-age 'sex-tourism' (boys), though I never noticed it in 2002, but I was offered a girl by a man on a beach. (I bet they never told you about this when you made your booking. )

Things to do in/near Kovalam.

Get up early to see the locals pulling in their massive nets from the sea, you can even help them, though it's sometimes disheartening when the haul is only a few shrimps.

Go to the small beach south of the lighthouse, there is a footpath from the south of Lighthouse beach that takes you up the hill, follow this and go past the Rock Holm hotel (I think that’s the name of the hotel), the beach is lovely, though it is probably busy at that time of year.

Go for a walk behind Lighthouse beach, it's really nice, remember a torch if you do this in the evening, I forgot, you will only realise what kind of problems this threw up when you see the place yourself.

One morning go on the above walk and just keep going away from Kovalam, you pass the small pond where the clothes get washes and eventually you get away from the tourist places, the locals are very friendly.

Go to the Sea Shore restaurant at the far north of Lighthouse beach, it is the last restaurant on the main section, the food is not great (but the same can be said for all of Kovalam), though their breakfasts are good, there is a couple who stay for a few months a year at the hotel along the alley from this restaurant, they can normally be found in the morning having breakfast in this restaurant, they are retired, from Leeds (I think), they are very friendly and will give you tons of information.

Also this restaurant can arrange to go on fishing trips, or to see dolphins, or a short trip on a boat to pick your own Mussels in water about 10 feet deep, its good fun, if (like me) you cannot get any, the man on the boat gets you a sack full, you then eat fresh ones at the restaurant while the owners 'curry' some for you, (absolutely delicious).

Don't go on the restaurants 'backwater' cruises.

Have a good conversation with 'Sunglasses' , a great man who sells sunglasses and coconut cream; you will hear him coming before you see him. (your task for your holiday is to get 'sunglasses' to join indiamike.com )

Getting away for a day or 2.

Varkala is another beach resort and is only an hour from Trivandrum by train.

Kanyakumari is a good option for a day trip, it is situated at the southern tip of India, the place has many temples and is said to have some of the best sunsets India has to offer.

I have listed some train times to get to Nagercoil (16 km from Kanyakumari),however, hiring a car and driver would be a good option and give you a bit more freedom, Kanyakumari is about 100 km from Kovalam, try to get a driver who speaks Tamil (the local language in Kerala is Malayalam), the couple at the restaurant may be able to help you find a car and driver.

A must for any trip to Kerala is a 'Backwaters' trip from Quilon (Kollam) to Alleppey (Alappuzha) , all the info needed can be found on the following link.

Kerala Backwaters - A cruise on budgets! by Beach.

Another option is a trip to a Wildlife Sanctuary in the hills of Kerala, though you would probably need to spend a night away from Kovalam to do this, A car and driver would make this trip better, I cant advise any particular Wildlife Sanctuary as I haven’t been to any of them, but I'm sure other members will have useful info if you needed it.

Whilst passing through Trivandrum there are a couple of interesting restaurants, two that spring to mind are across the road from the train station, One is a tall, thin, circular building, a walkway spirals around a central pillar and all tables go around the walkway and have window seats, the food is good and it's cheap.

The other place is in front of Hotel Chaithram, It is a very simple hut, you walk in and pay Rs 18 (in 2002), then you take a tray to the counter, the staff then 'throw' (prison canteen style) food onto the tray, first some Paratha's (breads) then a kind of vegetable curry, then a Beef curry (there are lots of Christians in Kerala), then you have to put your tray onto a small counter and eat it standing up (no cutlery), you will be the centre of attention, but don't let it put you off, the food is good and the experience is great fun.

In the entrance to Trivandrum train station is a pre-paid auto rickshaw kiosk, USE IT, the rickshaw drivers who go between Trivandrum and Kovalam are bloody awful, in 2001 the pre-paid fare was Rs 75, you would do very well to get an auto to take you for less than Rp 150,they will try to stop you getting to the pre-paid kiosk, when you tell them that it’s only Rs 75 via the kiosk, they will say that the price is per person or that you have to pay the drivers fare back to Trivandrum, ignore them, the pre-paid fare is the total fare, and don’t hand over the slip you get from the kiosk until you get to your destination.

Don’t worry about the 'poor' auto drivers, they will get you back when you want an auto going the other way, the price will start at Rs 200.

Along Station road, from the station then past the Hotel Chaithram, there is a Cinema to see Bollywood movies (are they still called Bollywood movies in the south?), there are movies in the afternoons and evenings, even if you don’t want to see a movie it is worth looking at the queue of people waiting to get in, their excitement is infectious (sp).

You will get the opportunity to see loads of western movies in the beach bars in Kovalam.

Train times.

Train 371, (2nd class only).
Trivandrum 06:55
Nagercoil 09:00

Train 376, (2nd class only).
Nagercoil 18:15
Trivandrum 20:15

Train 6127, (3A, Sleeper & 2nd class).
Nagercoil 20:45
Trivandrum 22:15

----------------------------------------------------

I have added Kottayam, as it is a possible place to get a bus to a Wildlife Sanctuary.

Train 2076, (Chair Class & 2nd class only).
Trivandrum 06:05
Quilon 07:00
Alleppey 08:17

Train 6349, (Chair Class, First Class & 2nd class).
Trivandrum 06:20
Varkala 06:55
Quilon 07:25
Kottayam 09:25

Train 1082, (2A, 3A, Sleeper & 2nd class).
Trivandrum 07:25
Varkala 08:08
Quilon 08:50
Kottayam 10:50

Train 6525, (2A, 3A, Sleeper & 2nd class).
Trivandrum 09:20
Varkala 10:07
Quilon 10:40
Kottayam 13:00

Train 6346, (2A, 3A, Sleeper & 2nd class).
Trivandrum 10:00
Quilon 11:00
Alleppey 12:45

Train 2625, (2A, 3A, Sleeper & 2nd class).
Trivandrum 11:10
Varkala 11:46
Quilon 12:10
Kottayam 14:00

---------------------------------------------------


Train 363, (2nd class only).
Quilon 15:40
Varkala 16:20
Trivandrum 17:45

Train 6350, (Chair Class, First Class & 2nd class).
Kottayam 15:05
Quilon 17:05
Varkala 17:35
Trivandrum 18:55

Train 728, (First Class, Sleeper & 2nd class).
Quilon 18:00
Varkala 18:40
Trivandrum 20:10

Train 2075, (Chair Class & 2nd class only).
Alleppey 18:33
Quilon 19:53
Trivandrum 21:15

Train 6301, (Chair Class, First Class & 2nd class).
Kottayam 18:25
Quilon 20:33
Varkala 21:00
Trivandrum 22:10

butterball

Great train times yet again...

I didn't realise there was a 'pre-paid' auto stand at Trivandrum Station.. very handy - although I've always found the Trivandrum drivers failrly reasonable..

Don't forget the the 5 Rupee bus option for Kovalam just along the road - it's a load of fun and runs every 15 minutes or so !

I'd like to suggest a section in the 'new' Indiamike for 'up to date' 'fares' - ie regular contributions for typical fares paid for commonly taken journeys - primarily taxi & rickshaws... This would give us all recent examples of fares paid and help us with haggling... ?



There are some great 'dingy / dark' bars in Trivandrum ( getting back 'on' topic ! )

MEJ

I'm in Cochin and had no problem getting some beers at that hotel bar today. Kingfishers and Fosters.

In fact I can feel the hangover coming on now...

Kingfisher

Paedophillia, railroad time-tables, rickshaw fares??? good to see you getting this thread back on topic, MEJ So what is the price of a beer in Kerala?

By comparison, in Goa a large KF goes for 35-40rp in a beach shack or small restaurant; a Fosters or San Miguel is generally around 5rp more. A small Kings will set you back 20-25rp. Teapot not required.

IMFL prices for brands you (almost) recognize: vodka, gin, and brandy around 120rp for 700ml, and a decent whiskey a bit more. Wine generally either nasty (sweet), or rather expensive.

butterball

Kerala is a bit more expensive : 60-80 INR for Kingfisher in restaurants, a bit less in Bars. 45-55 INR in shops or 'outlets'

In Tamil Nadu - cheapest around ! Sandpipers in bars for 40 INR !

It's obviously a 'tax' thing... or it may have something to do with TN being less wealthy ? I'm a sucker for 'Haywoods 5000'.. but only one recommended !

Did anyone else notice the locals mixing their IMFL with their beers ?

On Varkala, I'm hoping it will still be reasonably quiet athe the beginning of November ??